1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fastening device for plates, in particular glass plates, such as for facades, in particular glass facades, for buildings and other purposes.
This invention relates to a fastening device for fastening a glass panel to a wall, a building-side substructure or similar object using a clamp fitting that grips the glass panel and a holder that is supported on the clamp fitting so that it can swivel to a limited extent in three dimensions.
2. Background Information
The prior art includes holders for glass plates at a point or points that have a boring running through them in which the mobility of the glass plate relative to a support construction is made possible by means of joints or links, the center point of which lies inside the boring through the glass plate. A holder of this type is described in European Patent 0 201 212 B1, for example. The joint thereby makes possible a pivoting or rotational movement, but practically no displacement relative to the plane of the plate.
European Patent 0 655 543 B1 describes a limited pivoting capability of a plate with a hole bored through it, which capability is achieved by the fact that a biconical head of a bolt connected with the support structure is mounted so that it can move in a hollow screw inside the boring through the plate. This biconical head is mounted on the end surface between elastomer discs. This construction is comprised of a large number of parts. It is very complex and expensive to manufacture. The installation of such a holder is time-consuming and can be done from only one side of the plate.
Federal Republic of Germany Patent 198 59 888 A1 describes a system for fastening plate-shaped components that require no recesses in the plate-shaped components for the fastening of the retaining element. For this purpose, in addition to the plate-shaped components, an additional plate-shaped component is added on one side, in which additional plate-shaped component there is a recess through which a retaining element runs. The retaining element thereby sits in a partly conical and partly cylindrical boring inside the plate and a threaded pin runs through the retaining element.
A fastening device for a glass plate with a voltaic element is described in Patent Cooperation Treaty Publication WO 99/63193. In this case, the fastening device is held on a building-side bracket on one side, and on the other side, the glass plate is clamped between two clamping elements. In this device of the prior art, a union cap or coupling cap is supported with adjustable bias on the inside clamp element, whereby between the union cap and the inside clamp element, there is a permanently elastic spring element that allows a relative movement of the union cap with respect to the clamping element. An additional purpose of this device of the prior art is the realization of a plurality of three-dimensional joints between the glass plate and the building-side mounting as well as the realization of the route for the lines that carry electrical cable through the fastening device.
The object of this invention is to create a fastening device in the form of punctiform holders for plates, in particular glass plates, that allows a pivoting or rotational movement and a translation movement of the glass plate within certain limits. This fastening device can also be manufactured economically and used universally, whereby it can also be used with solar modules in a manner that is aesthetically appealing. The fastening device claimed by the invention can also be installed quickly and easily, so that the total costs of facades, roofs, coverings, etc., comprising these plates can be significantly reduced. The fastening devices should be realized so that the connection to a load-bearing or support construction can be made on both sides of the plates. The phrase xe2x80x9cboth sides of the platesxe2x80x9d is also intended to include an external fastening. Finally, the fastening device claimed by the invention includes the punctiform holders for both single glass plates and for laminated glass plates.
The invention teaches that this object can be accomplished in a fastening device for plates, in particular glass plates, to a building-side mounting, whereby the glass plates have borings or holes all the way through, characterized by the fact that inserted in each boring there is at least one metal annular body with an internal or female thread and an outside facing made of an elastic material positively and non-positively connected with the annular body, and a threaded pin for the connection to a load-bearing construction can be screwed into the annular body.
Additional developments of the teaching of the invention are described herein below in the features of the invention.
The object of the invention can be achieved on the fastening device described above in the form of a punctiform holder in that in each boring through a plate, in this case a glass plate in particular, an annular body is inserted, which annular body has an internal or female thread and an outside facing, covering, or lining made of an elastic material, which material is positively and non-positively connected with the annular body. A threaded pin for the connection to a load-bearing construction or building structure can be screwed into the annular body.
Between the annular body that is located in the boring through the plate, which annular body can be made of metal, and in particular of stainless steel, and the plate there is thus an elastic collar or cuff or an elastic ring which, when it deforms, can absorb all or substantially all of the possible movements of the plate relative to the load-bearing construction or building structure. This elastic facing body has a radial dimension that can be sized so that significant movements between the annular body and the plate can be absorbed essentially without transmitting these movements to the plate. A fastening device of this type can be capable of preserving the elasticity of the glass plates, because it does not substantially restrict the freedom of movement of the glass plates and thus can result in a neutralization of forces. The glass plate is essentially not restricted in its degrees of freedom with respect to the substructure. A fixed clamping, on the other hand, is necessarily rigid and could result in the destruction of the glass plate.
In other possible embodiments of the present invention, the annular body may be constructed of different durable materials than metal, such as plastic, preferably hard plastic.
The annular body has an axial threaded boring running all the way through it, so that the threaded bolt can be screwed in on both sides of the annular body. The elastic facing, on its inside, surrounds the annular body, and on the outside of the elastic facing, it is in contact with the interior wall of the boring that runs through the plate. Thus, the entire space between the annular body and the plate is filled with the elastic facing. As a result of this measure, different movements as described above between the annular body and the plate can be absorbed, including, in particular, pivoting or rotational movements of the plate plane relative to the axis of the annular body, a displacement of the plate plane parallel or diagonal to the axis of the annular body, and a displacement of the plate perpendicular to the axis of the annular body (e.g. thermal expansion of the plate, wind and snow loads on the plate). The punctiform holder claimed by the invention can therefore be suitable for the overhead and load-bearing attachment of plates, in particular glass plates, for example of the type used for coverings and roofs, as well as for the attachment of vertical load-bearing constructions such as glass facades or solar modules.
Further, the elastic component of the fastening device allows for compensation for different external forces, such as wind, snow, heavy rain, thermal expansion and contraction, and other environmental factors, exerted on the glass plates. The elastic component also allows for ease of construction and installation of a glass facade or other structure. The elastic can compensate for slight imperfections in construction, such that, for example, the mounting areas in a building structure do not have to be exactly or precisely measured to achieve a proper positioning of the glass plate in the facade or other arrangement. This can be especially important when arranging glass panels in relation to each other, since imperfections in the location of the holes in both the building structure and glass plates, as well as irregularly sized glass panels, can make the forming of a facade very difficult without precise measuring and drilling of the holes, cutting of the glass, etc. The elastic component can allow for minor adjustment to compensate for these imperfections in construction, thus making it easier and less expensive to build the facade or other arrangement.
In the preferred realization of the punctiform holder fastening device, a nut that is engaged beyond the boring can be screwed onto the threaded pin. Between the nut and the edge of the plate hole there is a ring made of elastic material. By means of this ring, which is separate from the actual facing ring inside the boring, there is increased security in the movable mounting of the plate on the load-bearing structure.
In the preferred embodiment of the punctiform holder claimed by the invention, on the outside of the annular body there is at least one projection that is embedded in the facing. This projection increases the contact surface between the annular body and its elastic facing body and improves the transmission of forces from the plate to the annular body during the various possible relative movements that can occur in actual practice between the plate and the annular body or the load-bearing structure. The projection can extend axially symmetrically over the entire periphery of the annular body. However, it can also comprise a plurality of partial projections that are distributed in the shape of a star, for example, or in the form of teeth, indentations, prongs, or similar objects that are embedded in the facing body. In the preferred embodiment, an oval ring-shaped projection is located on the annular body. This projection can be advantageously surrounded on all sides by the elastic facings material. The oval ring-shaped projection can be realized so that it is asymmetrical with reference to the radial plane that runs through its tip circle. This projection can also be located on the outside of the annular body in the center, and namely so that it is farther from the end surface of the ring-shaped body that is closer to the above mentioned nut than from the end surface that is farther from the nut.
The outside of the ring-shaped body preferably has an outer cylindrical area and an inside cylindrical area, between which there is at least one projection.
In the preferred embodiment of the punctiform holder, the boring that runs through the plate is at least partly tapered. The contact surface between the inside of the boring and the elastomer facing body is thereby increased and the connection between the plate and the metal annular body is strengthened. The largest outside diameter of the annular body (e.g. on the tip circle of its projecting portion or portions) is larger than the smallest diameter of the boring through the plate. Thus the exit or loss of the ring-shaped body on the narrow side of the boring is essentially prevented, even in the event of a separation of the elastomer facing body from the annular body. In that case, the annular body can be held axially in the hole bored through the plate simply by the above mentioned nut that is screwed onto the threaded bolt screwed onto the annular body. The boring through the plate and the outside of the facing thereby preferably have a cylindrical-conical-cylindrical profile. The above mentioned nut is also supported on the narrow or tapered side of the boring through the plate and/or on the annular body.
In the preferred realization of the punctiform holder claimed by the invention, the elastic facing can be vulcanized onto the annular body. The rubber-metal ring is a prefabricated part. In general, the outer profile of the rubber-metal ring corresponds to the profile of the hole bored through the plate. The plates to be installed can be provided with the properly profiled borings at the factory and can be sold with the rubber-metal ring already inserted. The rubber facing appropriately has a shore hardness that is appropriate to the application. It is also possible to install the rubber-metal ring inside the boring in the plate to essentially prevent any accidental detachment during transport.
The annular body is preferably surrounded by the external facing only on its outside periphery, so that the annular body, viewed in the axial direction, ends or ends flush with the facing and is thus essentially free of the facing. This invention also extends to a punctiform holder for laminated glass plates comprising an internal and an external glass plate that are connected by a plastic film or a layer of synthetic resin located between them, wherein the punctiform holder extends only through the inner glass plate or through the inner and the outer glass plate. The punctiform holder claimed by the invention for laminated glass plates comes essentially with the same annular body with the elastic facing as for single glass plates, which can also be realized in the form of single-pane safety glass, while in the constructions of the prior art, the laminated glass plate requires a more complicated (multi-part) construction than the single glass plate.
On the punctiform holder for laminated glass plates, the elastic facing appropriately can have a recess on the outside into which a cover plate can be inserted. This metal plate covers the annular body with the elastomer facing and the threaded bolt and improves the visual appearance from the visible side (e.g. when the holder is used on a glass facade).
In addition to the recess for the cover plate, the annular body stands back with respect to the facing in the axial direction inside the inner plate. This arrangement ensures that when there is a movement of the plate or of the fastening device, the annular body does not come in contact with the outer plate. With very thick glass plates, a plurality of annular bodies, all of which are surrounded by an external facing, form a fastening device inside the glass.
As discussed above, the bolt or pin can be screwed into the annular body. However, other types of connections could be employed to connect the bolt and the annular body. For example, the bolt could be welded or affixed using some type of adhesive to the annular body. A friction fit could be used. In addition, other connectors such as snap-in connections or spline and shoulder arrangements could be used. It is to be understood that other types of known manners of connection could be used but will not be discussed any further herein.
The above-discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further herein below. When the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d is used in this specification, the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cinventionsxe2x80x9d, that is the plural of xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d. By stating xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d, the Applicant does not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicant hereby asserts that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.